


Not Far Enough

by NoMansWindow2846



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-10
Updated: 2017-12-10
Packaged: 2019-02-12 20:14:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12967548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoMansWindow2846/pseuds/NoMansWindow2846
Summary: Dan's parents decided to visit him in California for the holidays and they want to meet an ex. Luckily, Arin's willing to step up.





	Not Far Enough

**Author's Note:**

  * For [donnatella](https://archiveofourown.org/users/donnatella/gifts).



“Hey, Arin?” Dan asks, wringing his hands.

Arin glances up, placing his phone on his leg. “Hey, what’s up? Is everything okay?” When Dan says nothing, continuing to twist his hands, Arin sits up. “Did something happen?”

Dan barks out a laugh. “You could say that. I…” Dan stops, takes a deep breath, and stares fully into Arin’s eye. “I need you to be my boyfriend.”

It comes out so quick that Arin thinks, no. Arin’s certain he misheard Dan. “You what?” He blinks at Dan, waiting for the punchline, waiting for the joke to be swung against the walls he’s built up. Instead, Dan swallows. “Dan?” Dan’s eyes flick to Arin for a second and all that he can see is fear. Pure, soul-crushing fear. 

“Arin, please. Don’t make me ask again.”

That isn’t the punch to the gut Arin’s expecting, but he maintains a calm, but slightly confused face. “Why, why do I need to be your boyfriend?”

“Instead of me going to Jersey this year, my parents decided to visit my uncle without letting me know and they wanna meet Rachel.”

“Rachel? The girl you broke up with over a month ago?”

Dan chews on his lip for a few moments before giving a half shrug. “The same one.”

“And I factor into this how? I... I can’t exactly pull off a Rachel. A Ray, maybe. But your parents know me. Love me, even. But I can’t be a girlfriend.”

Dan wipes the sweat pooling in the crevasses of his palm on his jeans. “I know. That’s why I said boyfriend. I…” Dan shakes his head, a nervous smile picking at the corners of his lips. “This is so weird. Nevermind. I-I-I’ll come up with something.”

Arin reaches out, grabbing Dan’s hand. “No, it’s okay. I… I can be your boyfriend. You already know Suzy’s okay with this, so it isn’t that much of a leap to go from fucking to boyfriends.”

Dan snorts, some of the nervous energy rolling off of him. “Usually, it’s the other way around. Boyfriends, then fucking.” He takes another deep breath and sits down next to Arin. “So last time we, me and Debbie, talked for more than just a few minutes, I may have gushed like a grade schooler over Rachel.”

“They don’t know?”

“No,” Dan shakes his head. He looks up to Arin, “They seemed to love her so much. Thought that she might actually be the  _ one _ . Hell, so did I. I… I never had the heart to tell them. I mean, you know how ballistic she went.” Glancing back to his lap, he sighs. “The only thing I can think of that wouldn’t break their hearts is if I had someone else in my life, someone they already knew, someone they already loved. And I know you got that open relationship thing, because well, we’re fucking. But that’s not the point. The point is if you’re my boyfriend, just until they leave, then they wouldn’t worry about me.”

Leaning back, Dan looks at Arin. Really looks at him. Really sees the man he’s been fucking on and off for close to a year now. Arin… he’s sad and happy and guilty and something else that Dan never seems to quite get enough of a view of to understand it. And then guilt is building in his stomach as he realizes he never asked Arin what he thinks of all this. “Sorry. I never asked you what you thought of all this. I know it’s overwhelming and you don’t have to agree. I won’t-”

“I’ll do it.” Dan blinks at Arin and he thinks he might die with his quick words and his heart steering the wheel. “If it’ll make Deb happy. She’s like a second mom to me.”

Dan smiles, pressing a kiss to Arin’s cheek. “You know, we haven’t started the session yet.” Another kiss, lower on his jaw. “We got some time.”

Arin hums, pulling out something deep in his throat. “Can… Can we get some relationship rules or something?”

Dan presses a kiss to Arin’s throat. “What kinda rules you thinkin’, baby girl?”

“Well, what do I say to Suzy? Do I tell Suzy? I mean,” Arin sighs, pushing Dan off him, “I know she knows about us fucking. But like, we… I haven’t really done any dating stuff. I mean, how do you explain to someone on a date that you’re married and also fucking a different person?”

“Shit. I… I don’t know. If you want to date, then we can stop. I…” Dan sits back, sighing. “I guess I never really thought about what we have.”

Arin’s chest clenches. “No, it’s okay.” He flashes Dan a smile, “Really. I just… I feel like I don’t have to date, but if I tried, it might be weird. I dunno. I guess what I’m saying is we can still fuck, if you want. And I can be your boyfriend for your parents. It’s whatever.”

Dan smiles and presses a kiss to Arin’s lips. “Thanks, babe. And you can tell Suzy all about this. If she isn’t cool with this, then I can talk to my parents about Rachel.”

“Oh, she’ll be fine,” Arin says, not even thinking. Of course Suzy would be okay with Arin dating Dan. That’s really the only person she approved of beforehand and Arin approved of Holly. “But I’ll ask just to be sure.”

It’s easier to just smile and push his feelings down. It’s just easier to ignore the way his whole chest tightens. It’s just easier to pretend this is all about getting each other off. It’s easier to not admit that he’s in love with Dan.

 

Almost a week later, Dan comes up and asks about Suzy’s reaction. Arin… Well, he didn’t forget to ask. He didn’t, doesn’t want to ask, doesn’t want his feeling to be pulled back from the depths. Arin is more than content pretending he knows what Suzy would say. Er, well, repeating what she had said years ago.

Arin turns in his desk chair, “She said it’s cool. Wanted to know when your parents are coming and for how long.”

“Well, it’s the 2nd, right?” Arin nods, checking the calendar on his computer. “Well, they said that they would be here by the 20th, so you got just under 3 weeks to become the perfect boyfriend,” Dan says, smiling.

“Debbie and Avi already love me. I’m the perfect son-in-law. After Dan, of course.”

Dan shakes his head, a smile on his lips. “You’re my boyfriend, not my fiancee. Big difference.”

Arin huffs, “I can be your fiancee. If you want.” Dan laughs and Arin hates the way his stomach is filled with butterflies. “I’m serious, dude. I can get another ring and put it on and boom. You got yourself a nice fiancee.”

“Don’t be my fiancee. Then they’ll ask about the wedding and why haven’t they been told and when I was gonna tell them and-” Dan sighs, pulling on a soft smile. “A boyfriend will be more than enough. Promise.”

Arin smiles, lets Dan kiss him, and watches his “boyfriend” walk back out the door. Fuck. He’s in this too deep. Whether he chooses to distance himself or to let the charade continue, Arin knows he’s fucked 6 ways to Sunday.

 

Time passes because that’s what it does. But that doesn’t mean over the next 18 days Arin doesn’t wants time to stop. He wants it desperately to stop, to stop the unavoidable reality that he isn’t actually dating Dan. That the past days have just to groom Arin into being a more realistic boyfriend to Dan. The hand holding, the snuggles, the kisses that are just kisses and not a means to an end, every little thing was an assimilation attempt. That in 9 days, when Avi and Debbie fly back, this will all vanish.

Arin is stretched out on Dan’s couch, waiting for Dan to return from the airport, waiting for the moment when all this becomes real. When the door is kicked open, Arin sits up, ready to see Debbie and Avi once again, ready to pretend like he and Dan are dating.

Debbie steps into the living room first and throws her arms open, “Arin, honey.” Arin lets himself be tugged into what can only be described as a mom hug. “How have you been?” She gives him a pointed look when they release, “And when were you going to mention that you and Dan are dating?”

Arin swallows. Does she frown down on  _ these _ kinds of relationships? He never thought to ask Dan and now he’s backed into a corner. “I, um, I…”

Debbie smiles at his sputtering. With a light laugh, she says, “I can’t believe it took this long for you two to hook up.”

“Debbie!” Dan shouts indignantly.

That gets Arin to laugh as well, some of the uneasiness rolling off him like fog. Even Avi joins in the snickering. Debbie smiles at her son, kissing his cheek, “Oh, Danny. I’m just glad you opened your eyes before I was too old.”

Dan returns the kiss. “You’re not old, Debbie.” He lets the suitcases fall at his feet, holding a smile. Something stirs in his chest when he looks over to where Arin stands next to his mom and the smiles twitches. Arin must have seen it because he raises a brow. Dan doesn’t let the conversation diverge, so he claps his hands, smiling wider. When he gets his parents’ attention, he says, “So who wants dinner?”

After Debbie and Avi get settled in the guest room, they head out for food. The meal is quiet and enjoyable, although Arin demands to be feed a few times and Dan humors him because they’re supposed to be a couple. It’s Dan’s idea and after the first day, he regrets avoiding the truth.

 

Dan wakes the next morning to cool sheets against his bare skin and he frowns. He expected some warm body pressed against his and that thought startles him into a sitting position. Running a hand over the comforter that’s half tangled around him, he pokes and prods at the thought until it unravels to one word, a name,  _ Arin _ . His hands squeeze, pulling the blanket closer.

He’s not in love with Arin. He knows that. Arin knows it. This whole relationship has been purely sexual because Dan just needed a warm place to put his dick. Nothing lies beyond it. Certainly not romantic feelings. Arin said it, that he didn’t want to date anyone else. He has a wife and is fine.

Dan is single and he’s happy too. Right?

Dan shoves the thoughts away. This whole deal’s supposed to be just for a week and a half to appease his parents. Then they can go back to just being friends with benefits. And then Dan can finally put these thoughts, these feelings to rest. With that settled, Dan starts getting ready for the day with his parents and uncle.

The day passes easy enough. Arin popped in for an hour or so before he had to leave to finish some official paperwork at the office. It was pleasant enough, but Dan knew that Arin knew that Dan knew something was off between them and it wasn’t about them fake dating. Apparently, his parents were either kind or oblivious enough not to mention it. Didn’t really matter to Dan, he’s just eternally grateful.

Another dinner and another round of questions, another round of wondering what had happened in the three months since they spoke last. Dan tactfully avoided some of the questions, but Debbie pins him with one about Rachel.

“I’m really upset that I didn’t get to meet Rachel,” Debbie starts and Dan focuses on his food rather than his mother’s face. “What happened, Danny?”

She sounds so upset that Dan keeps his eyes on his plate. “We just didn’t work,” he admits after a few moments too long. Glancing up, he catches a small smile on her face.

“Well, let’s hope you and Arin work out.”

That’s all that’s said on the matter before Avi asks about the latest with NSP and Starbomb. Dan is glad for the change of subject, but something still kicks around in his gut at his mother’s words playing on repeat. He’s almost certain he knows what it is, but he can keep denying it. At least while his parents are in town.

 

Dan wakes again to the same situation, to the same feeling. It’s on the cusp of getting irritating, but hopefully when his parents fly back to the East Coast the feeling goes with them. No. Okay. He might hate the feeling, but he loves his parents. He doesn’t want to think about their departure just yet.

And that’s how Dan’s life is for the next week. He wakes to the feeling that might be, just maybe, hinting at affection, romantic feeling to another man. Spends the day with his parents and “boyfriend”, acting like everything is normal. Goes to bed with a dull ache in his chest that continues to swallow him whole. Wash, rinse, and repeat.

Dan taps his hand on the steering wheel after he dropped his parents off at the airport. He certainly doesn’t think a week and a half has gone by, but here he is, trying to get away from the hell that is the airport. He glances to the passenger seat, where Arin sits, humming to the music. At that point, it becomes real, tangible. The feeling that turned into a hot ball of iron pushes to the surface and he immediately hates himself for it.

It doesn’t matter if they have an open relationship. He doesn’t belong in it. He never had and never will. And maybe that’s what hurts the most. Not the fact he used Arin for his own stupid personal reasons. Although that stung. But the fact that he would never have a chance with Arin.

Dan surprises himself by not crying, not even sniffling as he pulls into Arin’s driveway. “See you later,” Dan says, teeth clenched, his mind focused on the pain.

Arin nods, one hand on the door, “Yeah, dude. See…” Arin trails off and Dan glances over at him, goosebumps breaking out over his arms. Arin looks exactly like what Dan feels, scared, upset, on the verge of tears. Arin chokes on a sniffle before opening the door. Dan can’t manage to say anything before Arin’s at the door, waving a goodbye over his shoulder.

Dan sits there in his car, trying to piece everything together. Why is Arin so upset about it? It’s not like he has feeling for Dan. He might be bone-headed, but he can tell when people are crushing on him. And Arin never had any of the signs, or he always did. But that isn’t right. Right?

Feeling more and more like an asshole as the seconds pass, Dan climbs out of his car and knocks on the door. It opens to Arin, who’s clearly been crying, tears still marking his red face. He quickly wipes his face and clears his throat. “Hey, man,” Arin says with a smile, so casually. Like he hadn’t been crying a few seconds before.

“Are you okay, dude?” Arin nods, the thin smile still on his face. “Then, can I come?” Dan asks, smiling just the same. Arin takes a step to the side and Dan enters the house that feels just like the perfect blend of Arin and Suzy. He sits down on the couch in the living room and Arin stands on the edge. “What’s wrong? You’re not okay. You’re fucking crying,” Dan tries to keep his tone even and soft. He doesn’t want to force the issue, but it needs to be forced.

“Nothing. Nothing. Everything’s fine.”

“Where’s Suzy?”

“Out with Holly and Ross.”

Dan nods, leaning forward on his thighs. “So are you gonna tell me why you’re crying?” Arin opens his mouth and Dan adds, “And don’t just say nothing. It’s fucking something if you’re crying.”

Arin hates that he just wants to spill everything to Dan, hates that if he does, he’ll ruin his life and the lives of everyone that count on Game Grumps to stay afloat. So he keeps his mouth shut, shaking his head.

“What? You can’t tell me? You think that I don’t want to help you with everything? That, that I don’t care about you?” The words he knows he needs to say die on his lips and Dan closes his mouth. “Fine. I get it. Some things you need to talk to your wife about. That’s fine. I… I can call Suzy and get her to come take care of you.”

Dan stands, making his way over to where Arin stands. He sighs and pulls Arin into a hug. “If you wanna talk, I’ll be around. Okay, Big Cat?”

Arin grips him tighter, “Please don’t go.”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. I can stay until Suzy comes home.” At that, Arin buries his face into Dan’s neck, a sob breaking through the dam. “Okay, okay. Let’s get you back to the couch.” Shuffling them, Dan manages to get themselves onto the couch, Arin still clutching to Dan like a beacon in the dark. Dan begins to murmur reassures into Arin’s ear, rocking him slowly.

“Promise me you won’t go,” Arin says after a moment in between encouragements.

“I promise I won’t go anywhere until Suzy gets back. Okay, baby girl?”

“Promise me you won’t hate me.”

Dan pulls away, just enough that he can force Arin to look at him and not his neck. “What on Earth gave you that idea? That I would ever hate you?”

“This.” Arin leans forward, eyes still leaking tears. He kiss Dan soft and slow, holding him in place with his death grip on Dan’s jacket. When he pulls away, he keeps his eyes closed until he knows he won’t see Dan’s face, see the disgust, the anger, the hatred in his eyes.

Dan blinks. Arin just kissed him. Even after his parents got on their plane. Even after they didn’t have to be boyfriends anymore. Wait. “Do you still want to be boyfriends?”

Arin flinches at the words, but some parts of him forces himself to nod. “I know we’re not anymore, but I just needed you to know where I stand.”

Dan smiles, “Well, you’re sitting, not standing.”

“Dan, please.”

The grin falls off his face at the heartache the words hold. “What if I said I maybe wanna still be boyfriends too? If you want me.”

Arin sits there for a moment, eyes focused on the coffee table in front of them. They narrow after a second before flicking to Dan. “This isn’t a ploy to make me feel better or anything?”

Dan looks to the coffee table as well. “If I told you I felt upset because I didn’t wake up next to you, would that convince you?”

“That’s cheesy as hell and you know it.”

“It’s true. Since my, my parents showed up, I felt like I was lying to myself more than I was lying to them.”

“Honest?”

“Honest.”

Arin pulls Dan closer, burying his face in his shoulder. “Can we try it for real this time?”

It comes out muffled and Dan has to think for a few moment. His heart speeds up as a grin spreads across his face. “Yeah, let’s try.”

**Author's Note:**

> check out my tumblr: [ elisisland](http://elisisland.tumblr.com/)


End file.
